Content such as movies, television dramas, and music is supplied to users in various forms by various means. Movie content, for example, is distributed through screening in theaters, Internet delivery with a video on demand (VOD) system, sale/rental of package media such as digital versatile discs (DVD) and blu-ray discs (BD), and broadcasting on the airwaves or via satellites, for example. As distributors of such content, there are a large number of distributors including film companies, network companies such as cable television companies, rental business companies, and broadcasting companies. Thus, when the Internet is searched using a keyword concerning user-interested content as a search query, an enormous number of methods for obtaining the content are found. Among the methods, the user needs to access a Web page of a company (e.g., a network company providing a VOD delivery) providing the content in a desired form and make a predetermined registration.
To solve the user's complicated procedure for obtaining content as described above, there is a conventional technique of searching content-related information held by an information management device of each company with a keyword input by a user, classifying the obtained search results according to content forms such as video delivery, medium sale, medium rental, and television broadcasting, and showing the lists of the classified results (see, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2010-267094).
It is difficult with the above-described technique to find content-related information which is not provided yet at the time of a search. For example, if package media are not sold yet at the time of a search, information thereof cannot be obtained. Accordingly, a user has to repeatedly perform searches until information wanted by the user is obtained.
Searches may be automatically repeated with search conditions such as keywords and images being stored. However, in this case, the user might forget the search conditions after a lapse of time. Accordingly, even if information wanted by the user is found much later time and the user is notified of this information, the user might not realize what the information is. This leads to a diminished value of the notified information.
Accordingly, there is a need for a content notification system that can solve the above problems by monitoring information on content supplied in various forms for a long period, and notifying a user of the information with a method with which the user can easily remember the information.